The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made headlines last month by admitting that marijuana is less harmful than heroin, but in a new interview he says that cannabis should not be rescheduled.

WASHINGTON — Despite ample evidence pointing to the therapeutic, non-addictive qualities of marijuana, the new head of the Drug Enforcement Agency wants to keep it legally classified alongside heroin and other highly addictive substances.

“If we come up with a medical use for it, that would be wonderful. But we haven’t,” declared Chuck Rosenberg, the acting head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, in a Sept. 5 interview with Fox News.

This surprising denial of medical science came in response to a question posed by James Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent for the network. He asked Rosenberg whether it was time to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, considering two of the past three presidents of the United States have admitted to using the substance recreationally.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” responded Rosenberg.

A growing body of scientific research suggests marijuana is not just beneficial in treating many conditions, but also far safer than tobacco.

Despite changing laws in some states, federal laws like the Controlled Substances Act ensure that the government can continue to prosecute cannabis users and producers.

“I’ve been very clear to my [regional] special agents in charge: If you have a big marijuana case, if that in your jurisdiction is one of your biggest problems, then bring it,” Rosenberg told Rosen.

The Controlled Substances Act guides many of these restrictions. The act is meant to rank drugs based on their abuse potential versus their potential medical benefit. Each drug is assigned to one of five ranks, with lower numbers meant to represent more dangerous substances.

For example, oxycodone, the controversial pharmaceutical painkiller, is located on Schedule II, meaning it can be prescribed by doctors under certain conditions but its legal use is heavily restricted. Marijuana, meanwhile, is on Schedule I, which is reserved for drugs that, according to the federal government, have no accepted medical use.

In his interview with Fox News, Rosenberg admitted that alcohol prohibition in the 1930s was a failure. Although he says does not personally imbibe, he admitted, “I’m not going to impose that on anyone else.” Still, Rosenberg remains adamant that marijuana prohibition will continue at the federal level.

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